Utah Man Who Claimed He Shot Charlie Kirk Now Facing Child Exploitation Charges

Utah Man Who Claimed He Shot Charlie Kirk Now Facing Child Exploitation Charges

UTAH COUNTY, Utah — A 71-year-old man who made headlines last week by falsely claiming responsibility for the assassination of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk is now facing disturbing new charges involving child sexual exploitation.

According to the Utah County Sheriff’s Office, George Zinn was charged Monday with four counts of sexual exploitation of a minor after investigators uncovered more than 20 images of children as young as 5 years old in sexual poses on his phone. Authorities said Zinn admitted he derived gratification from viewing and sharing the images, telling investigators his “preferred victim age” was between 5 and 12 years old.

Zinn first drew attention on September 10, when he ran toward officers at Utah Valley University immediately after Kirk was fatally shot during a campus event. Police reports state Zinn shouted, “I shot him, now shoot me,” before being quickly detained. He was later charged with obstruction of justice after admitting the false confession was an attempt to distract authorities and potentially help the real shooter escape.

Following his detention, Zinn was taken to a hospital for a medical issue. While there, investigators obtained permission to examine his phone, which led to the discovery of the illicit material.

Zinn is described as a political gadfly with a history of disruptive behavior. His arrest adds a troubling layer to an already high-profile case, which remains under investigation as authorities continue to probe the assassination of Kirk.